Oil burner lighting means



4 d! Y l Aug. 25, 1936. G. KINSMAN. '2,052,5M

OIL BURNER LIGHTING MEANS I Filed March 26V, 1954 Patented Aug. 25, 1936 I PATENT OFI-ics OIL BURNER LIGHTING MEANS Gordon Kinsman, Hartford, Conn., assignor to The Silent Glow Oil Burner Corporation, Hartford, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application March Z6,

4 Claims.

This invention relates to burners employing liquid fuel (for descriptive purposes herein referred to as oil) and more particularly, though not exclusively, those in which a wick is employed for starting or other purposes.

The invention is herein illustrated in connection with a burner of the combustion tube type in which an oil-saturated fire-resisting wick is lighted and used to preliminarily heat the burner, after which the burner becomes self-vaporizing and the wick ordinarily ceases further to function.

In starting burners of this type the initial lighting of the wick is a troublesome and awkward operation usually requiring the insertion of a lighted taper between the combustion tubes. It is also uncertain, often requiring repeated attempts before the wick is lighted, and usually results in a localized, slowly spreading flame, with an uneven combustion persisting for some length of time.

One object, among others, of the present invention is to provide electrical means forrigniting the wick of an oil burner through the action of a. spark electrically created through the aid of a conductive body placed in cooperative igniting relation to the wick, suchbody being formed of a hard, durable but preferably porous nre-resisting substance, capable itself of absorbing oil,

so thatV the oil may permeate the body and be presented with the oil of the wick itself to the quick igniting action of the spark.

This and other objects of the invention will be best understood by reference to the following descriptionwhen taken inv connection with the accompanying illustration of one specific embodiment thereof, while its scope will be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

. In the drawing:v

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a burner employing one form of the invention, the parts above the base being removed: l ,'Fig. 2 is a central sectional elevation of the sameburner taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, intermediate portions of the combustion tubes being broken out;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a portion of an igniting Wick or ring embodying one form of the iriv'entionir and "-Fig. 4 is a similar view embodying a modified form of the invention.

f ,"ng to the drawing and first describing thepspeeinc form of burne/r in connection with whi'chmoneH form of the invention is herein shown, the burner (Figs. 1 and. 2) is provided with a 55 base in the form of a casting having an outer 1934, Serial No. 717,313

(Cl. 15S-F28) generally annular portion and an inner concentric annular portion spaced from but connected one to the other by a series of webs I3 and providing an annular air admission opening I5 between the two annular portions of the base interrupted only by the webs I3.

The inner annular portion is provided with a central air admission opening I1 surrounded by an upstanding ring-like flange I9, the outer edge ofthe inner portion also having an upstanding 10 ring-like flange 2| spaced from but concentric with the flange I9. The' flanges I9 and 2| together with the-connecting bottom wall of the base casting form a relatively wide annular compartment or channel 23 on the bottom of which 15 is a raised wall or rib 25 extending around said channel except for a short distance where it is interrupted. Oil is adapted to be delivered .to the channel 23 by a pipe connection 21 opening into the bottom wall of the channel through the oil inlet opening 29, the latter being disposed between the rib 25 and the flange I9 diametrically opposite to the interruption in the rib 25.

The outer annular portion of the base casting presents an outer fuel compartment in the form of a'channel 3| formed between the upright spaced flanges 33 and 35, the outer channel being of lesser radial width than the channel 23; The outer channel 3| is connected to the inner fuel channel 23 by means of supply ducts 31 formed in the webs I3 so that a free circulation of liquid or vaporized oil takes place through both fuel channels. The top of the wide channel 23 is partly covered and closed by a removable annular cover plate`39 formed preferably of 'thin sheet metal, such as chromiumsteel, the inside edge of the plate having a down-turned flange to seat upon and .within the upper base flange I9 with a preferably close fit. The walls of the cover plate extend outwardly and herein also downwardly but are spaced vertically from the bottom of the channel 23 and the raised rib 25 to provide an annular space through which vaporized oil may pass directly into the space between the flange 2| and the edge of the cover plate 39.

The edge of the cover plate has an out-turned lip on which there is supported a perforated sheet metal cylinder 4| constituting the inner one of a pair of combustion tubes. A similar but larger concentric cylinder `43 is removably seated cn'the outer shouldered edges of the flange 2| so that there is provided between the two cylinders an elongated combustion chamber 45 aligned with and constituting an extension of the outer uncovered edge of the wider channel 23. Two con- 55 centrically spaced perforated sheet metal cylinders 41 and 48 are likewise removably seated on the inner and outer shoulders, respectively, of the flanges 33 and 35, providing between them a combustion chamber 5| having a relation to the outer fuel channel 3| similar to that of the combustion chamber 45 to the outer portion of the channel 23.

A removable annular top plate 53 is provided with its edges resting on the tops of the sheet metal cylinders 43 and 41 to close the top of the annular air space therebetween, and a disc-shaped closure with its edges resting on the upper edges of the cylinder 4I is similarly provided to close the top oi the central air chamber, leaving, however, annular openings in the tops of the two combustion chambers I5 and 5i for the escape of the products of combustion.

A burner of this type is commonly started by igniting an oil saturated wick usually comprising a fabricated strip of asbestos, the strip being cut so as to rest in the fuel compartment or channel with its upper edge entered into the bottom of the overhead combustion chamber. In the illustrated device two such wicks 51 and 53 are shown, the first located in the outer fuel channel and the other in the inner fuel channel. The inner wick 53 may have the portions coinciding with the ports 31 cut away to leave such ports unobstructed.

When the burner is to be started, oil is admitted through the inlet port 29 and enters the wide channel, flowing thereover within the raised rib 25, through the openings therein to the outer portion of the channel, and through the ducts 31 into the outer fuel channel 3i, penetrating the bottom edges of both wicks and saturating the bodies thereof. The wicks being then lighted, the burner begins to heat, and when the required vaporizing temperature is reached the liquid oil becomes vaporized on entering the channel 23 beneath the cover plate 39, the covered portion of said channel constituting a vaporizing space. Combustion is then carried on to an increasing degree independently of the wick, and finally completely through the oil vapor passing from the vaporizing chamber beneath the edge of the cover plate into the inner combustion chamber and into the outer combustion chamber through the ducts 31, and the wicks ceasing to function when the burner operates under full fire.

The described form of burner serves to illustrate the application of one form of the invention, but the latter is not limited to the actual construction of the burner shown and the latter may be widely departed from in the utilization of the invention.

To ignite the wick at any time after it has been saturated with oil, there is placed in the groove 3|, and herein between the ends of the wick 51, and in cooperative igniting relation thereto, an electrode comprising an electrically-conductive body 8| of porous but fire-resisting and oil-absorbing material. Such body conforms to the groove, being in contact with and tting between the ilanges 33 and 35, and extends to the bottom of the groove, the bottom walls of, the body being preferably slightly recessed or beveled, as indicated in Fig. 2, to assist the circulation of oil in the groove beneath the body 5I and its absorption of oil thereby. The electrode il preferably extends a substantial distance above the tops of the flanges 33 and 35.

cooperatively related to the electrode 6| is a second electrode 63 comprising a conductor mounted in the insulating sleeve 55 which extends laterally through a slot in the bottom oi' the outer combustion tube 49, the conductor 63 projecting from the insulating sleeve and terminating above but in closely spaced relation to the electrode body 5I. 'I'he sleeve 65 and electrode 63 are held clamped in xed position by means of the L- shaped bracket 51 screwed to the bottom of the bese Il.

To cause the passage of an igniting spark from the electrode, suitable connections are providedl these being diagrammatically indicated in Fig. 2. These comprise an induction coil or transformer, the secondary 69 oi.' which has one terminal connected to the electrode 63 and the other grounded to the base through the connection 1 I. -The primary 13 of the induction coil is connected to any suitable source of alternating current (not shown), a switch 'l5 being provided, the closure of which completes the circuit and causes a suc-` cession of sparks to pass from the electrode 63 to the electrode 6I.

A durable, fire-resisting, oil-absorbing and sufficiently conductive electrode body 6I may be formed, by way of example, from silicon carbide crystals or carborundum, preferably mixed with a small amount, such as approximately 15%, of aluminum oxide. To this mixture is then added a suilicient amount of potash water glass to render the mixture plastic, thus permitting it to be molded in the form desired. It may be molded separately and placed in position in the groove of the base, or it may be conveniently molded in place in the groove itself, thus causing adherence to the walls of the base and establishing'a good grounded contact therewith. When the plastic mass dries out it forms a hard, hre-resisting body, permanently retaining its form, capable of withstanding long continued usage under the high temperatures prevailing in the burner, and sufficiently conductive to serve, through its grounded connection to the base, as one of the two spark gap electrodes.

Such body, however, is more or less porous and displays an affinity for oil, such that, when oil is admitted to the groove to saturate the wick, it also penetrates the electrode body 6I, being conducted in part to the top of the electrode at or about the point where the spark takes place. When sparkingoccurs at the top of the electrode there is a sufficient amount of oil or oil lm at or near the top to insure ignition under the action of the spark and spread its flame to the adjacent edges of the wick which becomes instantly lighted.

The electrode constructed as described has a high specific heat, tending to retain the heat initially imparted to it through the passage of the `sparking current and the heat imparted to it through the subsequent ignition and burning of the oil.

It will be observed that the electrode body functions more than as a mere conductor of electricity and spark producing electrode. It not only itself draws the oil into igniting relation to the spark which it helps create, but after ignition first takes place, the heat imparted to and retained by the electrode becomes elective for vaporizing the oil which has been absorbed in its mass so that it has itself in a measure the action of a wick.

With the outer wick lighted and burning, combustion will after a short interval spread to the inner wick. It desired, however. to further accelerate and hasten the lighting of\the inner wick, such inner wick may also be equipped with a similar electrode body and an electrode provided to :ggz-crate with the igniting velectrode for the inner `wick itself. The wick 19, for example, may be constructed from asbestos fibres formed into threads. reinforced if desired by line wires and woven by means of longitudinal or warp threads 8| and' transverse or weft threads 83 into mesh form', as lindicated in Figs. 3 and 4. In this case the Wick is more loosely woven than usual so as to leave appreciably open meshes (shown in somewhat exaggerated form in Figs. 3 and 4),. After the plastic mass has been prepared, itis pressed into the meshes of the wick so that when dry `the wick itself carries in the meshes thereof a firm, nre-resisting, liquid-absorbent, electricallyconductive body adapted to serve `the function of the electrode body 6 I Such plastic mass may be localized in o-ne portion only of the Wick, as shown in Fig. 4, which, when the wick is in position, is located in cooperative relation to the electrode 63, or it may be impressed into and extend over a large part or even the entire length and extent of the wick, as indicated in Fig. 3. Since the plastic hardened mass is fire-resisting and for all practical usages indestructible, when apf plied to the Wick as described it acts to reinforce the same land adds to its durability and long' life.

While I have herein shown and described for the purpose of illustration one specific embodiment of the invention and the application thereof to one particular burner, it is to be understood that extensive deviations may be made from the form, construction and location of the electrode itself, and that thelatter may have application to a wide variety of uses and a great variety of different forms of wicks and burners, all without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I' claim:

l. A liquid fuel burner comprising an annular fuel groove, an annular starting wick positioned in said fuel groove, a fuel absorbent, fire resisting, electrically conductive mass constituting .an electrode andpositioned in said groove with its lower and upper edges, respectively, below and above the level of liquid fuel in the groove, a second electrode in sparking relation to a surface of said first named electrode, said surface being one to which liquid fuel is conducted by absorption through saidfirst named electrode, said absorbent electrode being in igniting relation to said annular starting wick, means operable when energized to vproduce an electric spark between said second electrode and said surface, and means for supplying liquid fuel to said fuel groove.

2. A liquid fuel burner comprising a fuel groove. a starting wick positioned in said fuel groove, a fuel absorbent, nre-resisting, electrically-conductive mass constituting an electrode and positioned in said groove with its lower and upper edges, respectively, below and above the level of liquid fuel in the groove, a second'electrode in sparking relation toa surface of said flrstnamed electrode, said surface being one to which liquid -fuel is` conducted by absorption through said first namedelectrode, said absorbent electrode being in igniting relation to and incorporated with said starting wick, means operable when energized to produce an electric spark between said second electrode and said surface. and means for supplying liquid fuel to said fuel groove.

3. A liquid fuel burner comprising a fuel groove, a starting wick positioned in said fuel groove, a fuel absorbent, nre-resisting, electrically conductive mass constituting an electrode and positioned in said groove with its lower and upper edges, respectively, below and above the level of liquid fuel in the groove, a second electrode in sparking relation to a surface of said rst named electrode, s aid surface being one to which liquid fuel is conducted by absorption through said first named electrode. said absorbent electrode being in igniting relation to but separate from said starting wick, means operable when energized to produce an electric spark between said second electrode and said surface, and means for supplying liquid fuel to saidfuel groove.

4. .A liquid fuel burner having a metal base provided with a fuel compartment, combustion tubes forming a combustion chamber above said compartment and into which said compartment opens, a liquid fuel absorbent starting wick so positioned in said fuel compartment as to present its ame in said combustion chamber, a fuel absorbent, re-.resisting, electrically conductive mass constituting an electrode and positioned in said fuel compartment in electrically connected relation with said metal base with its lower and upper edges, respectively, below and above the 

